Eugene ""Gene"" Amitrani

1925 - 2014 | Obituary

Eugene "Gene" Amitrani, born February 17, 1925, died peacefully on Father's Day, June 15, 2014, at Sherwood Oaks Health Center. Previously a resident of Colorado Springs, Colorado, Eugene came to reside in Fort Bragg with his daughter and son-in-law in 2011.Born to Italian immigrants in Nyack, New York, his love of running qualified him to participate in the 1941 Olympics. He completed an enlistment in the Army Air Corps as a pilot and tail gunner for the B24s. His profession was an engineer, developing the first computer, programming the Mercury Capsule for flight and setting up company branches world-wide for the World Trade Division of IBM.Gene authored two books: his autobiography and a history of South Park City, a gold mining town in the Colorado mountains which he was instrumental in reconstructing. His hobbies included model railroading and traveling with his wife.Mr. Amitrani is survived by his daughter and son-in-law, Linda and Ed Runner; three grandchildren, Joshua, Rebekah and Sarah; six great-grandchildren, Alexandra, Andrew, Kymberly, Audrey, Annie and Milo; and by two brothers, Robert and Donald Amitrani.Gene's faith in Christ was very evident in how he lived his life. He grew up singing and playing the clarinet to hymns, joining his mother at the piano. He was a loving husband, a caring father, a loyal friend and a mentor to many. He was known as the "little Italian with the big heart." Services will be held in Boulder, Colorado.